Underdogs motivated as teams one win from state

April 03, 2007|By Dave Vilhauer, American News Sports Writer

As top girls' basketball teams discovered last week, life in the postseason is anything but ordinary. After districts claimed the No. 1-rated teams in both Class A (Pine Ridge) and Class B (Mitchell Christian) last week, teams participating in this week's regions should be on the lookout for one final obstacle on the way to the state tournament. The State B tourney is in Huron and the State A tournament is in Spearfish, both March 8-10. Here is a capsule look at each region in the area: Region 1A 8 p.m. Friday at Wachs Arena Milbank (21-1) vs. Groton (13-9) Milbank appears to hold the upper hand in this contest. The Bulldogs are the defending region champion and defeated Groton by 19 points earlier this month. However, Groton toughened up by playing a rugged schedule late in the season and should be highly motivated after losing to Milbank in triple overtime in the region last season. And as last week showed, being the hunted is not always the most comfortable position. Region 6A 7 p.m. Friday at Gettysburg Miller (11-9) vs. Cheyenne-Eagle Butte (17-4) There is no doubt that Cheyenne-Eagle Butte wears the favorite label in this matchup. The Braves not only own a better record, but defeated Miller 75-52 in a previous encounter. However, that game was played in the early stages of the season and much has changed since then. Both teams claimed narrow wins in their district finals, so both are battle tested in pressure situations. Region 1B 7 p.m. Friday at Webster Summit (20-2) vs. - orthwestern (15-5) On paper, all signs point to Summit in this contest. The Eagles are the defending region champions, have a better record and should benefit from having played their district in Webster. However, games are not played on paper. - orthwestern knocked off the top seed in its district and does not mind wearing the underdog label. The Wildcats are only one year removed from a region title themselves. Region 3B 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Huron James Valley (20-2) vs. Sully Buttes (20-2) Quality vs. quality. Both teams own identical 20-2 records. Both lost to a common opponent (Mitchell Christian). However, that is where the similarities end. Sully Buttes has had the Vikings' number through the years and appears to own it this season as well. The Chargers won a previous matchup by 26 points and will be favored to make another trip to the state tournament. Region 8B 7 p.m. Thursday at Faith Timber Lake (17-5) vs. Faith (17-5) Things could get interesting in this matchup of Little Moreau Conference foes. Faith won an earlier meeting between the squads, 39-33. The Longhorns knocked off the top seed in their district and would love to punch their ticket to the state tournament. Timber Lake has a rich girls' basketball history and will not go away quietly. This contest has the ingredients for an exciting finish.